Ultra Swim Swimmer of the Month is a recurring SwimSwam feature shedding light on a U.S.-based swimmer who has proven themselves over the past month. As with any item of recognition, Swimmer of the Month is a subjective exercise meant to highlight one athlete whose work holds noteworthy context – perhaps a swimmer who was visibly outperforming other swimmers over the month, or one whose accomplishments slipped through the cracks among other high-profile swims. If your favorite athlete wasn’t selected, feel free to respectfully recognize them in our comment section.
COVID-19 might have delayed Katie Ledecky‘s revenge tour, but it’s clear no delay can stop the inevitable.
An illness hurt Ledecky’s output at the 2019 World Championships, really the first meet of Ledecky’s international career that could be categorized anywhere near disappointing. Swimming fans across the country braced for a healthy Ledecky to return to the spotlight, perhaps with a chip on her already-world-class shoulder.
But after dominating the March 2020 Pro Swim Series stop in Des Moines, Ledecky competed in just three more total events across the remainder of 2020. The coronavirus pandemic limited competition opportunities and made travel more difficult, limiting Ledecky to a couple of short course yard time trial swims in a November dual between the Stanford and Cal college teams, plus one single long course 800 free at the Stanford Invite a week later.
In 2021, though, we’re getting the bounce-back year widely expected from the planet’s top distance swimmer. She crushed the San Antonio Pro Swim Series in March, then took another huge step forward at this month’s Mission Viejo Pro Swim Series.
Ledecky hit world-leading times in the 200, 400, and 1500 frees in Mission Viejo, dominating those ranks. Here’s a look at her April production:
| Event | Time | World Rank | Seconds faster than world #2 for the season: | Seconds faster than world #2 in April: |
| 200 free | 1:54.40 | #1 | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| 400 free | 3:59.25 | #1 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| 1500 free | 15:40.55 | #1 | 5.0 | 16.5 |
In addition to those world-leading distance times, Ledecky also went 54.22 in the 100 free. Among American women this season, that ranks #6, setting Ledecky up as a potential 4×100 free relay qualifier for the U.S. Olympic team. Including the 200, 400, and 800 frees, the newly-added 1500 free, and the 4×200 free relay, adding the 4×100 free could bring Ledecky to a whopping six Olympic events this summer.
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Very random fact: Ledecky also broke Kate Ziegler’s Mission Viejo Pool record of 15:42…which, at the time, was the world record.
Yes, first swimmer to break Janet Evans’ WR – and at an in season meet!!
On the women’s schedule, it’s the newly added 1500 FR. The race that started it all was the 800 FR. (She going to do it, Dan. She going to do it.)
As Lee Corso on ESPN would say: not so fast my friend. As for the women’s 100 meter freestyle, the competition will be fierce come June with Manuel, Weitzeil, Comerford, Brown, Douglass, Huske, Walsh (Gretchen), Curzan from oldest to youngest.
Huge Douglass fan, but she’s never cracked :55. Why does she keep ending up on this list of :52/53 swimmers?
Kate Douglass posted a personal best time in the championship final of the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
Who are 4 American girls who are faster than 54.22?
Manuel (53.34), Huske (53.46), Weitzeil (53.68), Brown (54.03). Manuel’s swim was late 2020, the others have been in 2021.
Oh, Manuel. That’s why I got confused. Her this year (almost May already) best time is still 54.36 only. And she skipped Mission Viejo meet being sick. That is what her coach said not getting into much details. Btw does anybody know what was with her and how serious it is?
Last I talked to Greg Meehan, he indicated they were expecting her to swim in Indy, so sounds not that serious.
Great! Thank you. It’s time already I think to show what she is up to this year when Olympics happens.
I think that intimidation of her future competitors at Trials is an important thing to do. She can of course do nothing now and then swim under 53 at Trials. But if girls who will race against her begin to think that there is a chance (based on Manuael’s current results, but not from her glorious past) then they may perform miraculously well to the required level being mentally ready for that.
Except ironically it’s Manuel who is literally the only American female sprinter who pulls gold medal performances out of her *** at the exact moments she needs to. If anything the other girls need to intimidate her…
It just came to my attention that Katie Ledecky is 6th already among American swimmers at 100FR.
Linnea Mack is fifth with 54.06.
If this is correct who is she and what her chances are?
Linnea Mack swam collegiately at UCLA, where she finished as the school record holder. She had a sort of slow start to her pro career, but around early 2019 started to accelerate.
She swam in the ISL as well for DC Trident and had a decent season. She won the 50 back in her team’s season opener, beat Maria Kameneva and Kira Toussaint and Etiene Medeiros and Amy Bilquist.
Tnx.
I checked her records. She was basically nobody in 100FR LCM and this weekend improved her personal best by 0.72 sec entering with that the group of swimmers who target spots on Olympic relay. That’s why i wasn’t sure that the information was accurate. The competition to be a member on American freestyle relays is getting very crowded with completely unexpected names.
You’re right – Mack wasn’t appearing in USA Swimming’s ranks yet as of publication. I’ll update now to reflect Mack’s time.
Speaking of updated times, why is Torri Huske missing in the women’s 50 meter freestyle from the Speedo World Swimming Rankings (2020-2021 LCM Women 50 Free)?
Really, Yozhik, I thought you knew everything.
Well, sorry to disappoint you. Let’s fix it. But remember it was you who provoked me 😀
The most important part of what we saw in Mission Viejo is the fact that Katie Ledecky’s speed is back being close to her 2016 form. Will she drop another 1 sec as it has happened in Rio? Sure, why not? We are talking about sprinting abilities and they are not that much age dependent as let say endurance.
With that the hope for her impressive 200 race in Tokyo is getting stronger.
The second thing that I was glad to notice is the way she swam 200. The third fifty is the most crucial part in her race. That… Read more »
A day late and a dollar short.
Ledecky’s speed was back in calendar year 2020. Reference the women’s 200 meter freestyle at the 2020 TYR Pro Swim Series – Des Moines dated March 6, 2020. Ledecky was faster on March 6, 2020 than was at the 2021 TYR Pro Swim Series – San Antonio dated March 5, 2021.
Why don’t you provide the comparison here with data instead of sending people to search for some documents that may not easy to find. I was refinancing my house at that moment and was in rush to complete it before banks got closed. I could haven’t paid much attention to that meet then.
And how the meet this March is important in the discussion of Ledecky’s speed at short distances? It was this meet in Mission Viejo where Ledecky focused on sprint performance and could be specially prepared for it. She even skipped 800 race to have a clear picture where she is now with 200 and maybe sending the message to her competitors. It can possibly affect the… Read more »
What is so hard to find? Try Google:
2020 TYR Pro Swim Series – Des Moines (March)
2021 TYR Pro Swim Series – San Antonio (March)
Yeah, that’s what I thought. Thank you for nothing.
Here is a clue:
https://www.usaswimming.org/times/data-hub/all-time-top-performers
List: All Time Top Performances
Gender: Women
Course: LCM
Event: 200 FR
Tell me how many women have ever posted a Top 25 All Time Performance in the month of March?
Sorry, I cannot follow such immensive analytical brain power of yours. I would rather spend my time watching Katie’s great races.